Hi. Don't hate me. Please. Hopefully people are still interested… :(
No excuses. Just truths. I really think the forces of fanfiction are against this story. Why? My computer crashed last month…blue screen and everything. What does it mean? All the chapters I had written. Gone. Took a month to fix and then add the time it took me to get over my sadness of not remembering what I wrote plus time to come up with new chapters equals forever to update! :( Which is WHY I wrote a MEGA LONG CHAPTER so that if this shizz happens again at least I get most of it uploaded! :(
I just hope nobody got bored of my flakiness. But like I said when I started this…When I start something I finish. The forces of fan fiction can just bite me :)
Chapter 38
Sam plopped down on the closest chair and exhaled.
"You shouldn't be so hard on him. Men make mistakes too you know." A familiar voice said.
Sam stiffened. She'd expect this statement to come from Brynna, maybe even Gram but not, "Dad!" She exclaimed.
Wyatt Forster sat down next to his daughter. He had heard the exchange between Samantha and Jake and though there where many horrible painful things he wanted to do to Jake, many embarrassing questions he wanted to ask Sam because if he got a girl pregnant already he didn't want it to become two, many appraisals for her daughter who showed to be so strong even when it seemed all she wanted to do was curl up in a ball. But he was a cowboy. And a cowboy only said what was necessary, and depending on who the person was, maybe, just maybe a little bit more.
"Samantha." He acknowledged her.
"Uhm. How much did you hear?" Samantha asked nervously, worried as to how much her dad knew of the situation she was in.
"Enough." He answered her.
"Then if you heard enough, why SHOULDN'T I be so hard on him. He deserves it." Sam spoke the words before she could think. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to talk to you like that." Sam apologized.
"It's alright. But even if he is a dumb boy for getting in this situation, because even if she is or isn't pregnant, if he has doubt that means that he's done some dumb things out there in college," Wyatt was about to tell Sam the dangers of college but retracted immediately, too embarrassing and also not what was important at this moment. He sighed and continued.
"The point is that you are growing up and you will learn that not everything is black and white Samantha. There are grey spots. Spots that are not easy to explain, that may not always be a good thing but it's the right thing and vice-versa it may not always be a right thing but it's a good thing. You will make big mistakes to Samantha. That's how love is sometimes. You do things to protect someone, when that person never asked for protection," He said as he looked out the window, a far off look in his eyes. "But not giving someone a chance to make up for their mistakes and maintaining your pride now that is something that can leave you tossing and turning until your grams age." He tried to lighten the mood. Sam smiled.
"I heard that." Gram said as she walked into the kitchen, giving her son a death glare. Sam outright laughed at her dad's face.
It feels good to laugh. Sam thought to herself. She hadn't truly laughed.
"But he is right you know." Gram continued sitting in the chair next to Wyatt. Sam looked at her feet. "Jake is a dumb boy and he was wrong for hiding but that doesn't mean he did anything with an intention, his coming, though a little late, proves that he wants you to forgive him, he just doesn't know how to deal with this situation. And Samantha, don't be selfish, because as much as you are hurt by this, imagine how he is feeling."
Samantha looked out the window. She hadn't once thought about this through Jake's eyes. She felt a little guilty.
"Darling, we're not saying to forgive him all at once. I'm asking that for your sake, you ask yourself if it will really be worth the guilt you will have to carry with you because you never gave him a true chance to redeem himself." Brynna joined the crowd in the kitchen.
Okay this is getting a tad bit ridiculous. And also awkward. I don't need my WHOLE family giving me love advice! Samantha screamed in her head. But she knew they were right, and it felt nice not feeling alone.
"Thank you." She finally said, turning around to smile at her family. They smiled back. "I'm going to go to the barn." Sam said and walked out the kitchen door.
Wyatt and Brynna stared at each other and sighed.
"I have a private phone call I wish to make." Gram stated with a quiet tremor daring anyone to ask her about it or defy her. Wyatt and Brynna looked each other again, this time perplexed, but nodded and walked out of the kitchen.
Gram headed to the phone on the wall of the kitchen and dialed.
Ring.
Ring.
Ring.
"Hello?" A women's voice came from the telephone.
"Hello Maxine, this is Grace. Are you busy?" Gram answered.
"Grace, hello." She said cheerfully. "And no. Actually Im glad you called, I do think we need to talk." Maxine Ely answered.
Gram dragged a chair towards her and sat on it. It was going to be a long talk.
Sam sat down next to Ace.
Ace looked at her and went back to grazing.
"What you aren't going to tell me to forgive Jake?" Sam looked at Ace accusingly.
Ace looked at her again. Sam stared back.
"He hurt me you know." Sam said defensively, but it sounded to her more like a little girl whining.
Ace turned to his food again.
"I bet he's hurt too. I mean if he loves me.."Sam started. "If? I've gotten so screwed up that I doubt the one thing that had kept me going through this." Sam said tears beginning to form at the corner of her eyes.
"Ugh!" She yelled, punching the ground. Ace startled and added distance between them. Ace stared at Sam; she could almost see him staring angrily at her for disturbing his peace.
"Sorry." Sam said to him. It seemed that Ace understood her apology, because he seemed content enough to gallop back to her, closing the space.
Sam laughed at the irony.
"You didn't need an explanation, huh boy." Sam stood to stroke him. "Sorry WAS good enough for you."
She suddenly felt overwhelmingly tired.
It had been a long day, too many emotions going through her head; she headed in doors to her bedroom. She stripped off her clothes and fell asleep in her bra and underwear, too tired and not really caring to put on pjs.
Sam let the darkness surround her, maybe her dream world will help her figure things out.
Darrell and Jen stood there. Dumbfounded.
Jen snapped out of it first.
"That Bit..!" She started to yell and run after her but Darrell put a hand over her mouth shushing her.
"Ow!" He exclaimed when she bit him. "Why'd you do that?" Darrell asked hurt.
"I'm sorry but if you think I'm just going to sit around and let her tell me what to do!" Jen started pacing, Darrell took three steps back. "Threaten us! Ha! She doesn't know who she's messing with." Jen said bordering crazy. Darrell looked scared.
"Let her tell my dad! Who cared?" Jen continued her ranting, but at this statement Darrell paled, and barely audibly whispered, "I do." Jen heard this and stopped.
"You would put our relationship over our friend's." Jen said cold as ice.
"What you are basically saying Jen is give up our relationship for the survival of another relationship. Don't we deserve to be happy too?" Darrell said, feeling guilty for being selfish, but he wouldn't lie to Jen for her to think he's something he's not. He can be selfish. Sue him.
Jen looked dumb founded for the second time in less than an hour.
It took her a while but she finally answered.
"Yes. We do." Jen stated.
"Then, why is there a 'but' coming?" Darrell asked.
"Because. If my dad finds out, so what, that's not going to stop me from being with you." Although she was never good with words or feelings or guys, here she was mixing up all three. "My dad will just have to get over the fact that his little girl is growing up. And though I would rather him not find out about us this way, with us sneaking off to fool around he has to find out eventually. And though I would feel guilty for hurting him, I think I would feel even guiltier seeing both Jake and Sam suffering when I know there is a way to stop it. My dad's reactions are all guesses. We don't know. But we DO know Dana isn't pregnant." Jen said softly but with conviction. She felt guilty for putting Darrell in this situation because she DID know how her dad would react and she also DID know that the guilt she'd feel because of her dad would only add strain and eventually break them apart. She started crying.
Darrell grabbed her hand and pulled her into a hug. She continued crying.
"I hate Dana." Jen said. Not just because of what she was doing to her friends, but of what she was doing to her and Darrell.
"Me too." Darrell whispered, fearing that he would have to let go of Jen so soon. He barely just discovered he had feelings for her, strong ones, and now he would have to put them on the line. He was a different guy when he was alone with Jen, and he liked that guy. Though he didn't cry his eyes were sad.
"What do we do?" Darrell asked Jen.
"What guilt is worth it?" Jen answered.
They stared at each other and they already knew the answer. They nodded.
Darrell leaned in to give her a gentle, chaste kiss. Jen blushed.
Hand in hand they walked out of the barn.